04 Jul 2012

Portugal, Switzerland and Italy, out

Belarus kept writing the most glorious chapter in their Beach Soccer history so far, and bent Greece to get into the quarterfinals group stage of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2013 – Qualifier Moscow. The hat trick by the Hellenic star, Paris, was not enough to stop Bogaichuk’s side, who want to make the most of their participation in this competition. Getting to Tahiti 2013? Why not?

Precisely Paris enjoyed the first big chance to sweep Greece ahead, but his penalty kick attempt was brilliantly denied by the Belarusian goalkeeper, Makarevich to leave things as they were. Four minutes afterwards, the Hellenic 10 himself fixed his previous mistake and opened the score for his side, with a great free kick that got Greece ahead for the remaining time in the period. During the break, Bogaichuk harangued his players, reminding them the importance of what was at stake, and his words seemed to have an excellent effect.

In the first seven minutes of the second half, Belarus would get hold of the game, with three hits by Miranovich, Ilyin and Kanstantinau that made the score 3-1. Once ahead, Krupitsa and co. would never lose the advantage again. Although Paris kept struggling for the Hellenic, with the 3-2, Bryshtsel would widen de gap again with the 4-2. The last hit by the Greek, again through Paris, came too late to mean something for Soilemes’ side, as the remaining 6 seconds were not enough time to try anything. The final whistle sends Belarus onto next round, the second group, phase where they are to play Netherlands, Russia and France for one of the two highest places in the group, the ones granting the ticket to next summer’s global showpiece in the French Polynesia.

The Orange National Team gave today a new evidence of the grown-up team they are becoming. The busy year the Netherlander have been having is giving its fruits, with the team achieving the ticket to the quarterfinals stage of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2013 – Qualifier Moscow. A tight victory today against Israel, who had their chances until the last second of the game, granted Kokmeijer’s side the ticket to next round, where they will face Belarus, Russia and France for one of the two tickets to Tahiti.

Netherlands based their win today on a consistent performance and a prolific second period, in which Van der Ouweland, Badash (own goal) and Ax’s hits brought things from 1-1 (Koswal and Nakache) to the 4-1 that would end up giving the Orange the green light. That significant advantage was cut by Lam’s lads, and Badash paid back his team for his previous misfortune with the 4-2.

Israel needed to make the most of the last period, and Yatim pointed the way to the comeback with the 4-3. Nine minutes was a long time for Netherlands to resist, and a huge room for Israel to complete their comeback, but, with a really disciplined outcome, Kokmeijer’s side blocked all ways to their nets, thus getting into next round’s group A, together with Belarus, World Champions Russia and France.

Hungary will join the best eight teams in this FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2013 – Qualifier Moscow, after bending the Czech Republic in their Round-of-16 play-off fixture today. The Czechs, who had been performing really fine during the whole competition, exception made for their last and meaningless game yesterday against Estonia, see themselves out of the competition, being inflicted an uncontestable defeat by a Hungarian squad that gets on in the Qualifier to face Spain, Poland and Ukraine for a berth in the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Tahiti 2013.

The Czech options began seriously crumbling in the first period, in which Chalupa’s effort was way too shy to silence the Magyar poker which had the match terribly unbalanced yet at that very early stages. The booty achieved by Badalik, Ughy, Fekete and Jaksa during those first 12 minutes would be enough for De Celis’ side to run past the Czech Republic.

The stroke exchange from then on would have the Hungarians always at a safe distance, as, despite Lukic’s lads efforts, the gap was widened again by the Magyar. With Weisz restoring the three-goal distance for Hungary one last time, and Besenyei taking it even further over the horn, De Celis’ side sealed the pass to the next round, where they are to face Spain, Ukraine and Poland for one of the tickets awarded to the best teams in Group B.

Saganoswki steered his team to the next stage of the FIFA Beach Soccer world Cup 2013 – Qualifier Moscow, with four key goals to edge Azerbaijan 5-6. The captain came twice to the rescue when the Azeri had made things too difficult for the Polish, and made sure that his side was not missing next round despite the terrific trajectory they had been leading in Russia.

It was Saganowski himself the one to sweep his team ahead, at a quite early stage of the match, and there he was again to restore the advantage after Elhad’s equalizer. The mighty Azeri kept always annoying Poland, managing equalizer after equalizer during all game long, and never letting their opponents further than one goal ahead.

But Poland thought to themselves that they had not gone all the way up to this point to let their chances of getting into the decisive round go being that close. The legendary polish number 8 took the reins and insisted once and again, despite Elhad’s last equalizer, to have his team going on in the competition. Unleashing an amusing missile from a free kick, the forward sealed the pass to next round for Poland, where they are to face the likes of Spain, Ukraine or Hungary in the last fight for one of the two tickets to the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Tahiti 2013.

Ukraine will not miss the quarterfinals stage after the convincing win they lead today against Turkey. The defending champions will have then the chance to keep fighting to retain the award, and, most important, to go for one of the four berths for the upcoming FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Tahiti 2013. To do so, though, they will have to prevail in a competitive group, together with Spain, Poland and Hungary, where only two of them will book their place in Papeete.

Turkey shook the beginning of the match with Erhan’s early opener. That brought Ukraine to get hold of the ball most of the time, looking the way to have their teeth on the Turkish, and they ended up absolutely controlling the game. Despite a second accident with Tamer’s 0-2, the defending champions had things absolutely under control, and managed to change things around even after the first horn, with Zborovskiy, Andreiev and Butko building the Ukrainian 3-2.

Things were really different now on the sand in Park Pobedy, as Turkey were now the ones needing to head for the other end if they wanted to get back their chances to go through. What they found, instead, was I. Borsuk hitting again to increase Ukraine’s advantage and secure a two goal mattress that would mean an unbreakable barrier from then on. Every Ottoman attempt was replied by Kucherenko’s side, who had the game always under an iron command. Not even the cheeky Erhan, Turkey’s top scorer again, managed to disturb the Ukrainian dominions further than that, what got the defending champions on again in this European Qualifier.

Russia and Switzerland offered today a brilliant spectacle; one, which unfortunately they will not be able to reedit in the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Tahiti 2013. It was just one or the other. The results in the competition so far brought these two superb teams to face, all or nothing, for one place in the quarterfinals group stage in this FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2013 – Qualifier Moscow. After a thrilling spectacle, with 15 goals, Russia keeps on in the competition, placed in a group where they will need to battle France, Netherlands and Belarus to earn one of the two tickets to Papeete.

Russia threw the first punch, with Krash finding’s Valentin’s nets and placing things on the right track for the World Champions. But Switzerland, strongly determined to blow the hosts party up, stormed the afternoon for the Russians, with three goals that left the score into a dangerous 1-3. The pace was terrific, and both teams needed a break to recover their breath. Specially the hosts, who had things gone really wrong during these first minutes. Before the horn, notwithstanding, Ermeev cut the distance, and gave his team a less cloudy perspective.

Although the second period kicked-off with a new setback for Russia, with Stankovic’s second hit of his three today, Russia found the light. A 0-4 run in that leg changed the panorama upside down, and gave the World Champions a lead they would never let back to Swiss hands. Likhachev’s side was feeling strong now, and, despite Stankovic’s new hit, counteracted to widen the score even further, with Shishin and Shaykov building the 8-5. That distance, with just four minutes to go was not enough, though, to finish the Swiss expectations, as Mo immediately voiced.

That last hit by the Alpine captain got the thousands of Russian fans in the stadium hold their breath for the remaining three minutes. Bukhlitskiy’s goal was now put into siege by Schirinzi’s artillery, but Likhachev’s side resisted the ravages by the Swiss and walked past almost all the remaining seconds. Just almost, because with 9 seconds to go, Rodrigues headed a ball in to, at least have the crowd shaking for a few more moments. With the last of Switzerland’s attempts, a free kick by Meier, going wide, the stadium went crazy, as Russia stays on the race to one of the tickets to the next World Cup.

Just a few days than the Spanish national side beat Italy in the final of the Euro 2012, their Beach Soccer relatives took on today in the round of 16 of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2013 – Qualifier Moscow, with similar results. La Roja prevailed on the sand to have the Azzurri out of the race to the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Tahiti 2013. In next round, played in a group phase, round robin format, will have the Spaniards taking on Hungary, Ukraine and Poland precisely their next opponent in this second group stage. The best among these four teams will have their place in Papeete secured.

Despite the Italians had prevailed in their last fights, Spain proved much more inspired today. After counteracting Corosiniti’s opener, the Spaniards ran over the Transalpine with Juanma, Amarelle and Javi Torres having things 1-3 at the end of the first period, and Kuman taking on the job at the beginning of the second leg for the 1-4.

The Torres twins were the ones to give the match the last thrust. Cristian widened the advantage with the 4-1 and Javi Torres cut any possible trace of Italian reaction after Leghissa’s 2-5. Just in case the two minutes remaining may bring room for the Italians to dream about something, La Roja’s number 9 closed the score and left things 2-6. The final whistle sends Italy home and gets Spain onto next round, where they will need to be one of the best two teams in a group shaped with, Hungary Ukraine and Poland, with the latter being the first opponents in this last stage to Tahiti.

Portugal and France will need a lot of time to forget what happened this evening at the Muscovite Park Pobedy. The first because after being 3-0 ahead at the beginning of the third period, saw themselves out of the upcoming FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Tahiti 2013, and the latter because, after an amazing comeback against one of the most powerful teams in the world go on in this European Qualifier chasing the dream of sealing their go-through to Papeete.

Current World Cup bronze holders seemed comfortable on the pitch today. France was not an easy opponent to play against but Ze Miguel’s lads were absolutely confident on their possibilities and they soon took the leading role in the game. Planning their moves, and choosing the right moment to sting, the Lusitanians built a comfortable advantage by the third minute of the second period. The French being unable to counteract that dominion seemed to confirm that it was an easy time for Portugal.

But everything changed in an unbelievable third period, in which Basquaise made his teammates understand that it was not impossible, something François supported little afterwards, and the reunion-born further confirmed, with the 3-3 in the last minutes of the game. Portugal did not know how to react to that unexpected revolution, and the match got into extra time.

The scoreboard remained untouched during that extra three minutes, so only the penalty kick shootout was left to open the door to one of the contenders. The tension was absolutely noticeable throughout the whole stadium, and the thundering silence before every shot was really breathtaking. There was a lot to lose, and that could be read in the faces of each of the penalty takers. The shootout was rather long, or at least it felt as so, with Edouard, François and Basquaise sending their attempts in, just as Madjer, Belchior and Jordan did. For the fourth shot, Les Bleus picked Basquaise, and the French number seven evidenced that he was specially inspired today. All the pressure was put then on Lucio Carmo’s shoulders, and that did not help at all the Portuguese forward, who saw his attempt hit the advertising banner. Just that few centimeters meant so much for Portugal, that misses their first FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup ever, and France, who gets onto next round to fight to get back to the Beach Soccer biggest festival.